Prior to tip off, the energy at Dolores High School was palpable. Bears players slapped hands, Bluejays players oozed with intensity and Mancos head coach Rodney Cox shouted instructions.
Then, the ball was thrown into the air and the Bluejays completely dominated, controlling all facets of the game in route to a relatively easy 63-28 victory.
Keying the Mancos win was the play of junior center Ro Paschal and senior forward Daniel Christiansen, who both scored 17 points and controlled the paint on both offense and defense.
"If we can get the ball inside, it opens everything up," said Mancos head coach Rodney Cox. "We can get outside shots, penetration and we have rebounders in position."
Just how dominant the Bluejays post players would be became evident early as Mancos raced out to a 17-4 first quarter lead.
The Bluejays continued to apply pressure in the second quarter and after senior Nigel Henry stole the ball, streaked down the right side and hit Jayden Peacock with a perfect bounce to set up a left handed layup, Mancos led 23-5.
With just over one minute left in the second quarter, the Bluejays again took advantage of the fast break after junior Adrian Hernandez came up with a steal, dribbled down the left side of the lane and flipped the ball to a wide-open Henry, who scored from the right block to put Mancos ahead 39-14.
"When we get out and run, we're pretty dangerous," said Hernandez. "Going fast is our kind of game. We played pretty well and executed the way that we wanted to most of the time."
Throughout the early stages of the third quarter, Mancos poured it on, employing a high-pressure 2-3 zone defense to bother Dolores ball handlers.
The Bluejays pulled their starters halfway through the third quarter, yet still led 55-21 entering the fourth.
Mancos reserves moved the ball well on offense and played solid defense over the final eight minutes to bring home the victory. Nearly every player on the Bluejays roster had at least one assist.
"We are playing unselfish basketball," said Cox. "Nobody cares how many points they have. It's just a unique group."
Senior post Brandon Hood-Farley scored 10 points, junior Andrew Plunkett scored eight points and Peacock had six.
Now 7-4 on the season, Mancos will return home to play Dove Creek on Jan. 30 and Telluride on Jan. 31. Bluejays players said that they confident entering this weekend's games."
"I think that we can make it to state and win the championship," said senior forward Fidel Avalos. "That's been our goal since last year."